Playing on the left wing as a late replacement for Aku Uate, who has an ongoing knee injury, the former Australian Schoolboys captain scored his first, second and third NRL tries in his fourth appearance in the top grade.

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‘‘He has wonderful attributes and the great thing about him is, I’ll imagine one day he’ll captain the Knights and be a great player here for hopefully all of his career,’’ Bennett said. ‘‘He’s played fullback for us, his preferred position is centre, and he played great on the wing today. It [captaining the Knights] is a long way away for him but I’m sure one day that’s where he’ll be heading.’’

Mata’utia’s first try came in the 10th minute, when Jarrod Mullen chip-kicked behind the Warriors’ defensive line and the ball sat up for him to race through and score to give the Knights a 4-0 lead.

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He raced 85 metres to score his second in the 26th minute after a Newcastle scrum win 10 metres from their own line, but the Warriors protested that halfback Shaun Johnson was impeded by referee Gavin Morris as the Knights shifted the ball to the short side.

Mata’utia brought up his treble in the 53rd minute with a combination of skill and strength, planting the ball down with his right hand moments before Warriors fullback Sam Tomkins tackled him into touch.

Warriors wingers David Fusitu’a (34th minute) and Manu Vatuvei (76th) scored similar tries, showing remarkable athleticism and awareness to stay in play despite being dragged towards the touch line.

Mata’utia’s third try broke a 14-14 deadlock and he was on the spot six minutes later to bat down a pass intended for Fusitu’a as the visitors threatened to launch a long-range attack.